Electron And Firecracker
by AeonXBorealis
Summary: Disgruntled Miracle City superhero Serenity hangs up her superhero costume in favor of attending Metrotown Technical Institute. Skullossus' harebrained and barely known of mad scientist Firecracker is determined to show Metrotown she's still an active super villain and not just a caged up lab monkey. Instead, she finds LOSE; will they let an estranged black sheep join?
1. 1: Pieces

Author's Note: In a sense, this is my way of trying to resurrect/reinterpret two fan characters I haven't really done much with over the span of three years. One is my El Tigre fan character Serenity, the other my League of Super Evil fan character Firecracker. Firecracker's getting a complete re-introduction here, so there isn't really any need to give any back story/info, but Serenity on the other hand, might require some basic explanation.

Serenity is a Miracle City native that became a superhero at age sixteen (she is the same age as Manny Rivera; she just happens to appear in my fan fiction about El Tigre that takes place when Manny's in high school). She created a belt that allows her to transform into her superhero alter ego Electron; it also artificially creates her "super powers" of being able to shoot electric beams, as well as fly. In this particular story, she's eighteen with two years of superhero experience. She's also part of the three-person superhero team, Team Lightning which includes herself, her boyfriend Felix (Conflagration), and the leader Zeo (Lightning Livewire). Felix is only present in this first part, though, and Zeo is mentioned in passing.

**1: Pieces**

**-Miracle City: Felix's Apartment**

Serenity reached out and lovingly ran her fingers down the fabric of her orange Electron uniform. A huge string of memories bubbled up in her mind, popping like fireworks and sending small electric currents of longing through her veins and straight to her heart. There was an all-too-real pang that swept through her, rushing from her head to her toes. Immediately, she pulled away, balling her fingers into tight fists.

Tears prickled in her eyes; she couldn't deny how difficult this was going to be...

Her breath caught in her throat; her eyes landed on her burnt sienna half-mask. The eye holes had small rips and tears; she remembered tediously and poorly cutting those holes out herself. Even her fingers felt the leftover ghost of the scissor handles.

Gulping, Serenity steeled herself and left the room, fast-walking down the hallway. Her head down, arms a pair of helicopter propellers. Right before she reached the living room of her boyfriend Felix's apartment, she stopped, leaning against the wall and sliding downwards until she hit the carpet.

Unexpectedly, Serenity collapsed further to the floor and slowly rolled into fetal position. Her brown hair came out of its' ponytail and started to fall around her face as the tears started leaking from her eyes. The sudden rush of emotion was so strong, Serenity felt her energy and strength draining away. All she could do was lay there, waiting for the tears to stop.

Felix opened the door, his hands fondling the knob a few seconds before he entered. He wore a tight lipped smile, part of a drumstick hanging out the side of his mouth. Bumping the front door shut with his hip, he pulled another drumstick out of the KFC bucket he was carrying.

"Serenity?" he called through a mouthful of food.

No response. He dropped the drumstick back in the bucket and wandered farther into the living room. What he finally saw made his eyes widen; he swallowed suddenly.

Serenity was rolled up into a ball on the floor, shaking and shuddering. Without hesitation, he threw the bucket aside and rushed towards his girlfriend, pulling her quaking form into his lap and tenderly wrapping his arms around her.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently.

Serenity sniffed and looked at him through half-lidded eyes. "I don't know..."

"Talk to me," he urged, rubbing her shoulder. "I'll listen, baby. Okay?"

"Felix, honestly-," Serenity protested.

Felix sighed heavily, cutting her off. "Quit lying to yourself. You're on the verge of depression-"

"You're not a psychiatrist!" Serenity huffed, pushing away from him and backing away until her back was propped against the wall. "I'm sick of you, Zeo, and everybody else telling me how to live my life!"

"If I were trying to stop you, I would've completely intercepted the letter you got from Metrotown Tech," Felix said evenly, looking directly into her dark green eyes. "I was the one who told you about the letter in the first place."

Serenity sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. "...when did _you_ become the responsible one?"

"It scares me, too," Felix chuckled.

She opened her eyes again. "Though, really, I made my decision. I know the consequences, the whole nine yards that come attached. What happens next happens. Why is that so hard to understand?"

"Have you ever seen yourself from the outside looking in, Serenity?" Felix interjected, folding his arms. "I know you're sick of everybody trying to get you to second guess yourself, but I'll tell you why they are: It's blatantly obvious that you were born to be a superhero, okay? You have an unshakable morality code; you care about upholding truth, justice, and goodness no matter what the cost. You took every step it took to become a true team player and..." He furrowed his brows. "You're the most alive when you're Electron...That's when you've _always_ been at your best. It's _all_ you talk about; it even beats out sciency technobabble as your favorite subject."

The entire time Felix spoke, he held Serenity's full attention. The expression on her face told him that she knew he was right; that she really did agree with everybody's warnings. There was just something holding her back from giving in. If only Felix could break it apart.

As much as he hated himself for it, he wanted Serenity to break down and fall into his arms, letting him take the brunt of her tears and grief. As a superhero, she was tough as nails, but when she was just Serenity, she needed support. She needed someone to lean against and help her manage her stress. Was there some part of her that hated leaning on others when she was just Serenity?

She looked at him with eyes full of steel. "I'll just tell you why I'm so determined to go to Metrotown Tech," Serenity said. "I've _never_ been formally trained and I'd really like to refine my inventing skills. I haven't tinkered with my Electron belt since I was sixteen!" She smacked the wall behind her with open palms for emphasis. "I never have time for it as a superhero. And, even though I'm extremely reluctant to give up my post for even a nanosecond, I may never have a chance like this again. I'm taking the advice you gave me when we first started dating, Felix." She smiled slightly.

" 'Sometimes you have to throw all caution to the wind and just do what your gut tells you. Your gut isn't always right, but there's always a way to pick up the pieces you left behind. There might even be an unexpected opportunity hidden in the pieces you're trying to pick up.'"

"I was wrong," Felix argued, touching his forehead. "You proved that that perspective isn't the right one to have."

"And _you_ proved to _me_ that it was," Serenity countered. "We wouldn't be together if you hadn't convinced me that some risks are worth taking."

"This is way different than what that was," Felix cried, his eyebrows forming a sharp, creasing V. "You're taking a risk that requires throwing away what you love the most just for an opportunity that you _might_ get to do what you could only wish you could do before. The other situation was you picking an experience you always wanted and knew you'd have definite results from."

"I just want to try," Serenity said, sighing. "I'm not leaving forever."

"How can you be so sure?" Felix asked in a breathy voice.

"I'm not," Serenity agreed. "But I just want to try..."

There was silence for a long moment, both of them just looking into the other's eyes. From the set of Serenity's shoulders and her stiff pose, Felix realized that he was fighting a losing battle. Sighing, he looked away from her for a brief moment, feeling his heart sink to his shoes. He'd just have to believe in Serenity's judgment. He closed his eyes and sighed for what felt like the thousandth time in the course of fifteen minutes.

"Man...when did we switch personalities?" Felix mused.

"I can tell you're getting sick of the mushy gushy," Serenity commented with a smirk.

"Not if I'm _getting_ something from the mushy gushy," Felix laughed.

"Yeah." Serenity shook her head. "Good luck with that."

"But I brought home chicken!" Felix protested, leaning in towards her and putting his hands on her knees. "Fried, greasy chicken!"

"Quit covering my pant legs in grease..." Serenity complained as she leaned in closer until the tips of their noses were touching.

**-Metrotown: Skullossus' Evil Space Lair**

Skullosus was out of town for the week doing...whatever big top super villain guys did to uphold their reputation. Of course, there was still stuff that his robot minion Skullmandos-and his in-house "mad scientist" Firecracker-had to attend to.

Yawning and stretching, Firecracker wandered through Skullossus' lair in nothing but a large T-shirt with the Force Fighters V on the front. She entered the kitchen, shivering as her bare feet met cold linoleum tile. When she reached the fridge, she skimmed the chore list that Skullossus had left attached there with a kitten magnet: He wanted her to build the tachyon powered hover car that he'd seen the blueprints for on her desk, as well as get a box of fresh chocolate doughnuts and a Starbucks coffee the morning he returned.

Rolling her eyes, Firecracker yanked the fridge open, nabbed a carton of orange juice and popped it open, taking a long swig before closing it and putting it back. Skullossus absolutely hated it when other people drank directly out of the carton; that's why she got such a wicked, subliminal thrill from doing just that.

There was no way Firecracker was going to start building today. Not when this was such a prime and golden opportunity for her. Skullossus _never_ left the lair this empty!

First order of business? Firecracker was smirking like the Cheshire Cat as she exited the kitchen and went straight to Skullossus' personal study. She flicked on his computer, brought up YouTube, then slid into a preparatory position, tapping her foot as the video started.

Psy's "Oppa Gangnam Style" started playing full blast. Never quite able to master the dance moves that went with it, Firecracker just started floundering and flopping around like a fish out of water. Purposefully, she started swatting at various papers on Skullossus' desk, sending them flying. Howling in a deranged lunatic fashion, Firecracker kicked the spinning chair parked in front of the computer, watching it spin radically as she indiscriminately stomped on and crumpled the papers that had hit the floor.

When the song ended, Firecracker surveyed her rampant destruction with a cheek to cheek grin. She turned, ready to leave the room, but stopped when she came face to face with one of the Skullmandos. A recorded message played, showing a hologram of Skullossus Star Wars style: "Firecracker, until I return, you're in charge."

The hologram disappeared, leaving Firecracker standing there stunned and silent. Skullossus must be doing something major or huge to have her take on any form of command. Most of the time, Firecracker was confined to the lair, keeping to herself and the laboratory that Skullossus had set up; he spoke to her directly as little as possible, usually choosing to communicate through colorful sticky notes instead. Sometimes, she questioned whether or not he realized that she _wasn't_ one of his mindless robot minions...

Throwing responsibility aside, Firecracker pondered: It'd been close to two years since she'd last done any major scale or even minor scale crimes in Metrotown. The only times she got to go anymore were on inane and boring chore runs! Perhaps it was time for Metrotown to remember that Firecracker was still an active super villain and not just a chore peddling flunky?

Normally, Firecracker had to wear an all-crimson uniform that she swore made her look like a misplaced Trekkie. Skullossus had already warned her about the consequences of him catching her with her Force Fighters V night shirt. So, what would he say about her donning what she considered to be her "trademark villain outfit"?

She briefly looked at herself in the mirror: her black suit still fit. Smiling impishly, she tugged at her silver tie and adjusted the fedora she was wearing so that it covered one of her bright yellow eyes. If only she could dye her pale yellow hair back to her preferred gray or silver, then her chosen image would be complete.

Satisfied for the moment, she exited her bedroom and stalked down the hall flanked by two Skullmandos. She tugged at the cuff of her white shirt and adjusted the lapels of her suit jacket, going over her evil scheme in her mind. After today, she'd never have a chance like this again. In the past, she'd tried to convince Skullossus to go with one of her plans or schemes, but he always waved them off, calling them sophomoric and stupid; that her plans were so low-scale that he'd be laughed at and scoffed by the other villains in town.

Grinning, Firecracker swore that this was going to be her ultimate vengeance towards those claims.

When she reached the main control room of Skullossus' floating space lair, Firecracker held up a hand, signaling the Skullmandos to stop. Folding her arms behind her back, she called out: "Video!"

Several pitch black video screens descended from the ceiling. "Show me a feed of Metrotown!" she commanded.

The video screens flickered, showing views of skyscrapers downtown, the suburban rows of houses just outside of town, as well as the lairs of different super villains throughout town. It kind of bothered Firecracker how much coverage and scope Skullossus had; how paranoid could he be?

But then again, he _was_ Metrotown's most powerful, a title that used to be held by Firecracker's dad Leo Sernara. She remembered that, growing up, she hadn't seen much of her dad; he was usually so wrapped up in sustaining his underground evil empire and keeping his mafia in line that he never had time for anything else. He'd never thought she'd make much of a super villain either, that she was nothing in comparison to her older brother Apollo. The thought left a bad taste in Firecracker's mouth. She didn't want to think about any of her family members, let alone Daddy Dearest.

Curling her lip back in a snarl, she pulled her newest invention out of her jacket pocket. It was a small rectangle-shaped controller with a bright LCD display and a series of buttons. For a moment, Firecracker was mesmerized by the bright colors and shininess, but then stopped, forcing herself to focus. She adjusted the appropriate settings, then pressed the 'finalize' button.

Smiling manically, she shouted "ZOOM" at the screens, watching with bated breath as the cameras zoomed in on the unsuspecting citizens of Metrotown...

**-Metrotown: L.O.S.E. Lair**

Voltar was lounging on the couch, his gloved hand stuck in a bag of Goldfish crackers; his expression seemed completely and utterly vacant as he mindlessly stared at the TV screen.

Worriedly, Red Menace walked over and looked down at Voltar. "Hey Boss, are you okay?"

Voltar just mumbled incoherently in response, followed by a low series of chuckles and cackles from Docktor Frogg. That was when Red noticed that Voltar had several wires attached to his head; the wires fed to a machine that Frogg was holding in his claws and staring at with an intent, somewhat malicious expression.

"What's going on, Docktor Frogg?" Red asked curiously.

Frogg looked up, his eyebrows at a sinister slant. "I challenged Voltar to sit through a 24 hour marathon of whatever vapid reality TV was on." The wicked smile on his face corkscrewed into a Cupid's bow. "I told him if he could survive, he'd get five bucks."

"That's a lot to go through for five bucks...," Red mused.

"You've known Voltar long enough to know what lengths he'll go to for free stuff," Frogg snorted.

"Well...is he okay?" Red looked at the boss again, noting that one of Voltar's molten yellow pupils was starting to float slightly to the left.

In response, Frogg reached over for the TV remote. The first two times, his claws couldn't quite grasp it, causing him to grunt and curse under his breath. When he finally did pick up the remote, he turned off the TV, then held up the device he'd been looking at, showing Red a display that resembled the display of a heart monitor: The green line was completely flat.

"Voltar's DEAD!" Red shrieked.

Frogg pulled the monitor away and sighed. "No, that's actually very close to what his normal brain activity looks like," Frogg assured Red. "He just needs some time for his pea-sized brain to dissect what he just watched-"

"No, Honey Boo Boo! I _won't_ try your go-go juice!" Voltar cried suddenly. "Mixing Red Bull with Mountain Dew is one of the worst things a person could ever do!"

After that spastic episode, Voltar slumped and collapsed face first off of the side of the couch, rolling onto his side. The Goldfish bag flew from his hand and spilled golden cheesy crackers all over the already dirty floor, much to the utter delight of Doomageddon nearby.

Frogg was trying to hold back laughter, but his funny bone died when he saw the horror-struck look on Red's face.

"He'll be fine!" Frogg insisted when Red turned to stare at him.

"Voltar never did anything to deserve this!" Red cried, gesturing at the spreadeagled form of Voltar on the floor.

"It was my revenge for Voltar throwing a water balloon in my face yesterday!" Frogg harrumphed.

"It was a harmless-"

"He did it when I was talking to a cute girl!" Frogg steamed, his face turning bright red. "Do you know how hard it is for mad scientists to get the opposite sex to talk to them?!"

"She was out of your league anyway..." Red said casually, shrugging.

"What?!" Steam was starting to curtail out of Frogg's ears.

"She was out of my league, too," Red backpedaled, making "calm down" motions with his hands. "Didn't you notice the tattoo on her arm? She was a member of the _Sernara_ clan!"

Frogg's eyes widened, then he folded his arms and fell back against the couch again, frustrated. "I could have gotten connections. Put the League of Super Evil on the map. I would've had a really attractive woman at my side and the world at my feet," he pouted.

While Frogg was going on about his loss, Red moved around the couch and knelt, taking a closer look at Voltar. Then he carefully reached out and picked Voltar up, cradling him in his large hands.

"I don't think Voltar would appreciate waking up on the floor," Red commented.

"He'll be _fine_!" Frogg hissed.

"Will you be okay, Docktor Frogg?" Red asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Once I stop mourning the loss of being substantial..."

"Okay."

Red just shrugged and carried Voltar to his room, gently placing him on the bed. As he got up to leave, something made Red stop in his tracks. He'd seen the various crayon drawings Voltar had pinned above his headboard before, but there was one that really stood out. A recent addition.

It was a picture of Voltar and Frogg sitting on planet Earth, back to back, with a barely legible side note: President and Vice President of the World.

Frogg was working intently on an invention in his room, trying to get lost in connecting wires and adjusting circuitry. Muttering the picky color patterns of different wires to himself, it became a mantra. A great distraction from how bitter he was feeling.

There were a few sounds in the background that Frogg found himself unconsciously zeroing in on: Red walking through the lair, talking to Doomageddon, the unnerving sound of Doomageddon's teleporting. The birds outside, twittering; the neighbor Steve's hose going as he incessantly watered his lawn.

Frogg couldn't help the nagging feeling that something...substantial was missing. As more time wore on, the measurable peace and quiet was almost unbearable. He stopped poking at wires and just stared at glowing motherboards as he silently contemplated.

It hit him like a ton of bricks: The lair was an entirely different place without Voltar stomping everywhere, making some sort of loud declaration or demand every few minutes.

Despite himself, Frogg pulled away from the invention he'd been working on, wandered out into the hallway and then, inadvertently, found himself standing just outside Voltar's door. Gritting his teeth, he reached out and knocked with his claw. "Hey, Voltar?" Silence. "I have the five doll-"

Frogg was cut off by a sudden loud and intense burst of synthesizers. The sound jarred him, rattling from his toes to his teeth and shaking him like a human maraca. A few seconds passed, and the song became jarringly familiar; a slew of unwanted memories rolled into Frogg's head.

Next thing he knew, Frogg felt a physical, very painful jolt: something told him that the nerve connection between his brain and his limbs had been cut off. Scared, Frogg looked down at his now limp body; he tried to move his arm, but it stayed immobile. What made things that much worse was that the music had grown louder.

Unbidden, Frogg's foot started tapping, then his entire body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. He smashed into Red Menace. When he backed away, Frogg was looking up at Red, his own confused and startled expression mirrored there.

"I got this...weird urge to start boogying!" Red laughed.

"It's affecting me, too!" Frogg replied, as his arms started swinging crazily like a dual pair of clock pendulums.

Suddenly, Red reached out and grabbed one of Frogg's claws, dipping him and then pulling him up into a tango pose. Red was blushing furiously with embarrassment while Frogg tried to ignore the current predicament and focus on the music playing. He concentrated for a long minute, ignoring that he was still dancing like a spastic monkey.

Just as he figured out what song was playing, the door to Voltar's room burst open, bopping poor Frogg in the nose and sending him spinning. Voltar somersaulted through the air, landing en pointe with his arms stretched overhead in a V; Red held up a "10" sign before being launched back into dancing.

"Frogg!" Voltar trumpeted, wide awake now. "What's going on?"

Frogg was still spinning with stars circling around his head. A few incoherent and garbled sounds came out of his mouth, but after he shook his head and regained his bearings, he said: "Somebody's playing bad 80's music."

"Bad memories! Bad memories!" Voltar cried, trying desperately to plug his ears.

Red started belting lyrics: "...cause if friends don't dance and if they don't dance!"

The three of them felt like they were being pulled by an invisible fist as they danced down the stairs, through the lair, and out the front door, into the street. Frogg's eyes were bowling balls: The entire neighborhood- kids, parents, adults, and elderly alike were dancing as ridiculously and uncontrollably as they were.

Before Frogg could come to any other conclusions, he realized that everyone was glaring heatedly at the League of Super Evil. A hefty woman in pink cried, "What did you freaks do now?!"

That was enough to truly connect the dots: Somebody was controlling everyone in Metrotown like puppets.

"This isn't our fault!" Frogg cried. "We're in the same boat as everyone else here!"

"I don't believe you!" a blond teenage girl yelled. "Your inventions backfire on you so often that of course you idiots would be the victims of your own prank!"

"Just turn off whatever stupid contraption caused this already!" an older man chorused. "I'm missing _Golden Girls_!"

Sputtering Frogg looked around at all of the angry faces, stress rising. Hurriedly, he thought of the collection of inventions he had in his lab, started mentally going through the catalog of them all. Nothing immediately stood out or felt like a valid solution.

"Yes! What's going on now is all because of the League of Super Evil!" Voltar bragged, cackling like a moron.

"Voltar!" Frogg hissed. "We're dealing with an angry mob!"

"Exactly!" Voltar agreed, smirking.

Frogg just groaned and sighed, happy for the first time in five minutes that everybody was inexplicably dancing. That way, the angry mob accessorized by torches and pitchforks would be held off for at least a few minutes. But...somehow, the crowd had found a way to zero in on the three of them, closing them off to the point of no escape.

Squeaking, Frogg looked around, desperately searching for some small break or gap in the crowd. What few he found, somebody else noticed and that person strategically placed themselves or someone else to fill it.

"Hello Metrotown!" a loud, theatrical voice called out.

Frogg turned to look up, just like everybody else: There, flying via jet pack, was a midget woman in a 20s style gangster outfit, holding a megaphone in her right hand, an unknown device in the other. Using the magnification built into his goggles, Frogg honed in on the device she was holding and gasped.

"I'm Firecracker, the spritely and unpredictable!" she called out with a short wave. "And I'll be your DJ for today. Any requests...?"

A chorus of complaints started up; she cupped her hand around her ear and smirked. "Wait, I don't take requests!" Barking with laughter, she played with the settings on her device. A series of sonic waves swept from an antenna on top of the device, radiating out.

The music grew louder; against his will, Frogg found himself lining up with all of the annoyed neighbors. He placed his claws on somebody's narrow shoulders while somebody else was placing their hands on his lanky waist. A bright, poppy Latin song started and everybody started marching in a rhythmic conga line.

Frogg looked up and glared at the villainess, watching as she reeled back, legs crossed and laughing.

"Just let us go already!" a brunette cried when Firecracker was in close enough range. "I got stuff I need to do. What do you want: money, power?"

"You just convinced me to make this an all day marathon," she said, snickering. "Last person that doesn't pass out gets a cookie!"

"I demand you stop this at once and give me that cookie!" Voltar bellowed from the front of the conga line.

Frogg's jaw dropped slightly, then he shook his head. There was never a time when Voltar didn't butt in or say something unnecessary or stupid. But, then again, if Voltar managed to keep this woman distracted, Frogg could sneak up on her, steal her device, then jam the frequency.

Luckily, she was drawn towards Voltar like a fly to honey, her facial expression a mix between bemused and skeptic. "You have to follow _my_ terms to get the cookie," she replied coyly.

"Show me the cookie," Voltar demanded.

Firecracker laughed jovially. "There's no cookie."

Meanwhile, Frogg was trying to pull away from the conga line, but his attempts were unsuccessful. He groaned, staring helplessly at his claws, wishing they weren't connected to his brain and nerve activity. From the neck down, his body was a slave to that device...Wait! That sudden realization reminded him that he still had control of his goggles. And he'd done quite a bit of upgrading to them lately.

"Why did you promise me a cookie if there is no cookie?!" Voltar sputtered angrily.

"I never _promised_ you a cookie!" Firecracker teased, smirking. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Don't get off topic!" Voltar steamed.

"I'll give you that cookie if you tell me your name," she urged, eyebrow raised.

That was when a bizarre looking long brass tube shot out, hitting Firecracker's device and puncturing a hole in the side. Grimacing, Firecracker looked down and watched as the elongated brass tube started retracting. Sparks flew from the device and she dropped it like a hot potato, yelling: "Fire in the hole!"

A small red and orange fire broke out, yellow sparks spitting and flying everywhere. Now free from the conga line, people started running away, getting on their hands and knees, hiding in bushes, or slamming doors behind them as they rushed inside. Firecracker floated just a few feet overhead, ecstatic as she pulled out a large fire blanket and used it to extinguish the electrical fire.

A few feet away, Frogg grunted and hurriedly tried to fix the left eye socket of his goggles. Having difficulty screwing it back to its' original position, he cursed under his breath. In a strange set of circumstances, Doomageddon suddenly teleported right in front of Frogg and grabbed the extended tube of Frogg's goggle eye socket. He got up on his hind legs, then pushed the socket back in place, snickering at the confused expression on Frogg's face.

But just as Frogg was thinking about thanking the doom hound, Doomageddon launched himself at Frogg's shoe and started gnawing on it.

"I wondered where you were, Doomy," Red said as he came over and pulled the doom hound off of Frogg.

"I'm going to give that woman a piece of my mind!" Frogg groaned, shaking his claws.

"Um...I think Voltar beat you to it," Red replied, pointing.

Frogg looked in the direction Red was pointing; Voltar, undeterred by being forced to dance to cringe-inducing 80's music and almost being blown up, was yelling his head off at Firecracker. His gestures were emphatic and strong, but it wasn't having any effect. Firecracker only looked like she was close to a laughing fit.

Feeling some sort of kinship with Voltar's anger in one of those few times in his life, Frogg stomped over to join him. Once he was close to Firecracker, she turned her gold eyes towards him. The close proximity gave Frogg a jolting realization: just how much shorter she was than him. She was barely taller than Voltar...

"Hi!" she said with a cheerful smile.

"I don't appreciate being manipulated like a rag doll!" Frogg huffed, every angry word he wanted to say getting diffused by some inner knowledge that it wasn't going to phase her.

"So, you're the one that stopped me?" She reached out and stood on her toes, touching the rim of Frogg's goggles. "How did you get the eye socket to stretch so far?...Amazing." Her jovial indifference turned into something else as she continued staring intently. "I didn't think superheroes had anyone with tech savvy on their side."

Frogg was a bit unnerved by Firecracker's intense stare, but he didn't push her away. "I'm not a superhero," he replied, toneless.

Chewing on her bottom lip, Firecracker finally stepped back, folding her arms behind her back in a thoughtful way. "Then help me remake my device and let's start causing tandem chaos throughout Metrotown!" she proposed with an impish smile.

"Wait!" Voltar interjected, raising his hands like a referee. "First, I don't get a cookie and now you want to steal _my_ mad scientist?!"

"Just forget about the cookie, already, Martian Man," she sighed. "Really, do you have a sugar addiction or something?" She put her hand on Voltar's helmet and pushed him aside, looking up at Frogg again. "I never caught your name?"

"Docktor Frogg," he obliged with a half-grin.

"So, what say you, Froggy?" she asked, flicking one of the antennae on Voltar's helmet.

"I demand to be acknowledged!" Voltar complained.

In response, Firecracker pulled a stun gun out of her jacket pocket and blasted Voltar with it, knocking him unconscious. "There, you've been acknowledged!"

Then she turned back to Frogg again, sticking the ray gun back in her pocket and looking at him expectantly. He just stared at her, looking down at Voltar, then back at her smirking face again. For some unexplainable reason, her facial expression eerily reminded him of the Cougar. The similarity unnerved him. Despite the part of him that wanted to accept her offer and see what more there was to Firecracker, past experience held him back.

"What did you intend?" he asked, wanting to sate at least part of his curiosity.

Before she could answer, Red ran over, picking up Voltar, then standing between Firecracker and Frogg in a defensive stance. He was glaring daggers at her and looked more furious than Frogg had ever seen the guy in his life.

"Don't hurt my friends!" he growled, steam rolling out of his nostrils.

"Stun gun was on its' lowest setting," Firecracker replied, bored. "Come on, doesn't he irritate you to the point that you want to zap him, too?"

Red continued glaring and Firecracker rolled her eyes.

"Martian Man will be back up and yapping like a chihuahua in a minute," she groaned, crossing her arms.

Just as she'd promised, Voltar's eyes snapped open and he hopped out of Red's arms, marching straight up to Firecracker. He clenched his fists and glared at her as one of his eyes twitched.

"How dare you do that to the great and mighty Voltar!" he shrieked.

His reaction made Firecracker's irritated expression turn into a smile. She was actually trying to hold back laughter as she looked down at him. "Fine, I'll get you a cookie. A great big chocolate chip cookie with marshmallows, fudge, and M and Ms stuck inside."

"I only eat _red_ M and Ms," Voltar countered, holding up a declarative index finger.

"Alright, twice the amount of red M and Ms you normally have," she conceded.

"Can I have hot cocoa?!" Red Menace said happily, clapping his hands.

"Sure." She nodded. "And you, Froggy?"

For the umpteenth time in so many minutes, Frogg was absolutely flabbergasted. Voltar was willing to overlook being shot by a freaking stun gun for a _cookie_? Shaking his head, Frogg scrutinized Firecracker's expression, looking for her true intent. All he saw was a smiling face with sparkling eyes. He wasn't going to put his guard down; he just hoped that Voltar and Red would share his reservations.


	2. 2: New Leaf

**2: New Leaf**

Frogg watched as Red and Voltar wandered off to go get the V-Mobile, chattering and going on excitedly about sweets. Then he turned to face Firecracker, his skepticism in full bloom.

"What are you up to?" he demanded.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You were just mind controlling the neighborhood and now...you're treating us to pastries?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "What, do you think I have some sort of ulterior motive?"

"I have every reason to think so!" Frogg replied, folding his arms.

"That, you do." She shrugged, then she just stared at him, her expression blank. It was apparent that she wasn't going to offer any other response.

"And why did you ask me to help rebuild that device?" Frogg pressed. "What were you going to do, use it to take control of Metrotown through dancing? Make the city denizens your personal slaves?!"

With each suggestion, Frogg could see the possibilities play out in his mind and he felt his heart start beating faster. His claws whirred as he suddenly fixed Firecracker with an expectant, almost rabid stare. "We could be the tyrannical king and queen of Metrotown! With an army of mutant dinosaurs!"

Firecracker just stared blankly at Frogg for a long minute, frowning. "Um, Froggy...You're getting _really_ carried away. For one thing, I barely know you. For another thing, I wasn't asking to team up to conquer Metrotown."

Now Frogg was disbelieving. "You're not...trying to take over Metrotown?"

"No," she replied. "I just really enjoyed the thought of torturing people with cheesy 80s music. And...I thought it might be fun to team up with another mad scient-"

"Would you ever _consider_ using your invention to take over Metrotown?" Frogg asked hopefully.

"No," Firecracker answered without hesitation.

Just that one little "no" echoed through Frogg's mind. Vaguely, Frogg remembered attending classes at Evil Kiddy College; one of the most major lessons was: "always aspire to dominate." And, with every scheme he came up with, Frogg always tried to think of ways it could be expanded upon, how much more evil potential it'd have. Of course, most of his and the League's ventures were failures in terms of reaching the potential they could, but Frogg took pride in knowing he tried to go the extra mile...most of the time.

For a moment, Frogg was about to argue with her. The words were rolling in his mouth, but they were lost as "La Cucaracha" ripped through the air. An eager, disillusioned Voltar was in the driver's seat, honking the horn. "Come on, Frogg! Come on, Meal Tick-I mean, Firecracker!"

Firecracker doggedly raced towards the V-Mobile, hopping into the back seat and landed in-between Red Menace and Doomageddon. As soon as she saw the doom hound, she was squealing; she pulled back Doomageddon's hood and started scratching the top of his head.

"Hey, I didn't say you could touch our doom hound, woman!" Voltar griped, turning around in the seat. "You're getting cooties all over him!"

Firecracker just blew a raspberry at Voltar as she scratched Doomageddon under the chin; the doom hound was basking in the attention, making low whining noises.

"Awww." Red Menace reached over and started petting Doomageddon, too. "I think he likes you!"

"I guess you forgot that she made you dance uncontrollably and almost blew you up?" Frogg said pointedly, disgruntled as he climbed into the front seat next to Voltar. "You obviously don't have your priorities in order, Volt-"

"That's a good point, Frogg," he said, then pointed at Firecracker and declared: "I demand you get me _three_ cookies instead of one!"

"You're really pushing your luck, Martian Man!" she replied.

"The name's _Voltar_," he cried indignantly.

"Mmm, I prefer Martian Man," Firecracker said, chuckling.

"Five cookies!" Voltar spewed.

Rolling his eyes, Frogg edged around Voltar and buckled in. He took over the role of driver, feeling like he was carting a bus full of kids instead of full grown adults. The entire trip through Metrotown, Firecracker and Voltar bickered back and forth. From what Frogg could tell, at first Firecracker was just bating and teasing Voltar, which entertained him to some degree as well. Though, by some point, Voltar had actually gotten under her skin, making her curse and shout furiously.

Feeling like his mouth needed to be scrubbed out with soap, Frogg was relieved when he finally pulled into a spot in front of the local bakery. He climbed out of the car, dazed, and watched as a distressed Red Menace tried to calm Firecracker and Voltar; Doomageddon looked on bemusedly, chuckling.

"..._Hannah Montana: the Movie _is not what I'd consider a cinematic masterpiece, endorsed by Primadena or not!" Firecracker howled. "Could you be _any more_ of a mindless fanboy brat?!"

"I'm _not_ a fanboy!" Voltar hollered back.

"Yes, you are!" Firecracker snarled.

"Stop it, you guys!" Red Menace sighed. "Can't you just respect each other's opinions-?"

"No!" Voltar and Firecracker snapped at the same time.

By now, Frogg couldn't really take anymore. Irritated, he walked over and opened the front door to the bakery. Enticing aromas sailed out: fresh doughnuts, cookies, bread, and various other things. As if on cue, both Voltar and Firecracker stopped arguing, heads perked up and noses sniffing.

Firecracker was right on Voltar's heels as they ran in; the door slammed Frogg right in the face. "Hey guys, wait for me!" Red called out, following the other two inside.

Crumpling like an accordion, Frogg danced around on the balls of his feet before collapsing to the ground. He groaned when Doomageddon grabbed him by the ankle and dragged him inside. Next thing he knew, Frogg was spreadeagled across a glass counter, Doomageddon hovering over him with sprinkles and a can of whipped cream.

**-Metrotown: Metrotown Tech**

All Serenity could remember was getting off of a plane and meeting Metrotown's MT "representative" that was going to transport her to the MT campus. But, then she'd discovered that the representative was a ditzy superhero named Wow Woman. That in and of itself had raised Serenity's suspicions, but she hadn't had any opportunity to speak to the woman other than finding out what her name was.

For forty-five minutes, Justin Bieber's voice had poured out of the car's radio. Wow Woman was enjoying every moment, but next to her, Serenity was cringing, her fingers in her ears. Yet, despite Serenity's best efforts, she couldn't block out the god-awful music.

Wow Woman reached out and cranked down the volume. Then she looked at Serenity, her smile turning into a confused frown. Immediately, Serenity pulled her fingers out of her ears and smiled sheepishly.

"So, what's it like being a super hero in Miracle City?" Wow Woman began, looking expectantly at Serenity.

Serenity felt a slight tug at her heart strings. "Crazy," she replied. "The villains keep getting more powerful and more bizarre. I've dealt with villains that make living, breathing guacamole monsters, that can bend space-time, that can control the shadows...Lots of crazy, crazy stuff."

Wow Woman's eyebrows raised. "Wow...Have any of them had any official schooling?"

Serenity smiled. "No. Miracle City doesn't have any official institutions for that kind of thing like Metrotown does. All of the heroes and villains either started up on their own accord or are following a family legacy of being heroes or villains."

"I've always wanted to meet a homegrown superhero!" the older woman mused. "I actually volunteered to bring you here for that exact reason. How long have you been a superhero?"

"Two years," Serenity said, smiling. "Feels like a lifetime, though. It's hard to get over that I'm going on hiatus..."

"Hey..." Wow Woman frowned. "Do you know who offered to pay your way through Metrotown Tech?"

"No," Serenity replied, looking at Wow Woman, confused.

"Glory Guy," she said with a wide smile. "He was impressed by how many different big name heroes you've worked alongside with in Miracle City. White Pantera gave you a glowing recommendation, too!"

Serenity felt herself blushing furiously; she remembered having an intense crush on White Pantera as a little girl. And to think, she'd grown up into the superhero she never expected to be, but somebody who not only got her previous idol's attention...but his praise? Her heart fluttered in her chest, a crazy and spastic butterfly. She'd barely been out of Miracle City for three hours, but the homesickness was already settling in.

"You don't have to give up being a superhero while you're here, Serenity." Wow Woman looked absolutely ecstatic. "How would you like to work as one of Metrotown's operative sidekicks while you're attending college here?"

The offer floored Serenity. Part of her was tempted to take the offer; it could assuage her homesickness, at least somewhat, right?

"Would I be able to get my schoolwork done?" she blurted.

"Of course!" Wow Woman said with a brush-off hand gesture. "There's lots of college kids that are part time superheroes here. There's actually a program set in place that makes sure you guys have time to get your work done!"

That alone made Serenity's eyes almost pop out of her head. But still, something held her back. Program or no, there was no way a superhero couldn't be a superhero full-time. Serenity wondered how she got through high school with the grades she did considering how spontaneous and erratic villain attacks were.

"There's one drawback to the program," Wow Woman warned, as if reading Serenity's mind. "You get assigned low level villains only. Shoplifters, neighborhood hoodlums..." She rolled her eyes as she muttered under her breath: "...the League of Super Evil."

"What was that last one, again?" Serenity asked, wondering why they were noteworthy enough not to be put in a generalized group.

"The League of Super Evil," Wow Woman groaned, looking like she was going to be sick.

Serenity tried to stifle back laughter. "I've heard some pretty lame villain names: Dr. Chipotle, the Mighty Cheetar, the _Mustache_ Mafia, but this one takes the cake! How lamely pretentious can you get?!"

"They're as lame as they sound," Wow Woman agreed. "Creepy, too. Their mad scientist keeps trying to ask me out...Ugh!" She cringed visibly.

For some reason, that offended Serenity on an internal level. She remembered when she first became fascinated by mechanics and mechanical parts; her very first crush had been a mad scientist: Dr. Chipotle, Jr. Even though her crush had long since faded, Serenity still had a soft spot for creative and intelligent mad scientist types; she wanted, desperately, to believe that they were lost, kindred souls that could be guided to the good side with enough coaxing.

"Maybe you should give him a chance?" Serenity suggested, lost in her own thoughts.

"Not in a million years!" she scoffed. "Never! Never! You'd agree if you saw him and he acted like the same brand of lovesick idiot around _you_!"

That comment launched Wow Woman on a tangent about how creepy she thought some guy named "Doctor Frog" was. How he'd asked her for her number a few times, even offered to go out on dates. All behind his boss' and fellow minion's backs.

Serenity shrugged and looked down at her clenched fists; she couldn't say whether the older woman was justified or not. At one point in time, she never would have imagined that she'd end up in a romantic relationship with Felix Suarez. As a kid, she'd absolutely despised him: she'd hated how mean and obnoxious he could be, that he was a shameless and petty thief, his wannabe womanizer persona, his long, matted red hair. But then, he'd approached her, on his knees, asking for her forgiveness, wanting help to change. Reluctantly, she'd taken him on as her sidekick and, she'd discovered that there was a completely different side to Felix.

Felix was kind and he did care about things, he just had a complicated view on life; he'd seen his original image as the only way to get the attention he wanted. As he kept continuing to turn over a new leaf, Serenity found herself falling for him: he was loyal, brave, confident, and everything she'd always wished she could be. They brought out the best in each other: she encouraged him to be moral and just, while he encouraged her to be confident and passionate...

Thinking about him, Serenity closed her eyes and sighed; he'd probably find a way to come to Metrotown sometime soon. The clever guy was just biding his time in Miracle City, hoping that he'd be the one to convince her to return to Miracle City.

Closing her eyes, Serenity touched the diamond ring on finger and smiled while part of her soul ached. How long would he stay in Miracle City waiting?

Wow Woman led Serenity towards the rectangular, glass topped buildings that were Metrotown Tech. When they walked through the front doors, Serenity couldn't help ogling all of the impressive machines and inventions just in the front foyer. Excitedly, she walked across the entire area, taking in everything, trying to capture and absorb the details of every invention. There were tags next to most of them, listing the name of the invention, the inventor, and the year they graduated.

But of all the inventions in the room, one very specific one really caught her eye. She raced over to it, almost tripping over herself in her flats. It towered over her, a cube shaped infrastructure of intertwining copper pipes with a glossy sphere in the middle. Looking at it for a few moments, Serenity took a few steps back, close to squealing with excitement. This machine...could easily be the predecessor to a cold fusion generator. But...there was no tag?

When she turned around, a middle aged professor with a salt and pepper beard was standing there. She looked at him with wide, curious eyes, pointing at the invention. "Who. Built. That?" she asked in an awed whisper.

"Archibald Frogg," he replied evenly, somewhat sadly.

"Of all the inventions in here, this one's, undeniably, the most well-crafted and has the most potential!" she gushed. "Why did the inventor want to remain anonymous?"

"Actually...Archibald never graduated," the man replied somberly. "He dropped out of college for full time pursuits as an evil mad scientist."

That caught Serenity off-guard. "Docktor Frogg!" she gasped.

"Yes, that'd be him," the man said, eyes closed as he seemingly swam in his lost memories.

Despite herself, Serenity felt her heart start beating a bit faster. Frogg seemed to be popping up everywhere and the mystery of who he was fascinated her in ways she didn't want it to. Biting down on her lip, Serenity took a step back and walked away from the invention, making a point out of forcing herself not to look at it.

She wandered across the campus, looking at everything, and kind of noticing the other students walking by. She stopped when she walked back outside. Blond brick dormitories stood off in the distance; there were more groups of students just milling around, working on different things.

Did _they_ know who Archibald Frogg was...?

That name...It was wandering around the maze of Serenity's mind. And while part of her knew she shouldn't even indulge the thoughts, she smiled and giggled, letting herself indulge the thoughts of asking Frogg what his inventing secrets were.

**Metrotown: Starbucks**

Firecracker waved as the League of Super Evil drove away in the V-Mobile. For the strangest reasons, she felt like they'd taken a chunk of her heart away with them. She thumbed the lid of the box of doughnuts she was holding under her arm as she turned to face the Starbucks building. Despite stuffing her face with cookies in a foolhardy eating contest against Martian Man, she still couldn't resist the allure of a freshly baked chocolate doughnut...

Just as she was going to enter the coffee place, loud shrieks and screams tore through the once-pleasant cerulean blue afternoon. A red sports car went flying, followed by the top of a fire hydrant. A black plume of smoke swiveled into the air; a giant geyser of water sprayed from a now topless fire hydrant Sirens wailed off in the distance.

Eyes wide, Firecracker let the door slam shut and walked into the parking lot. She was kind of surprised by the turn of events, but at the same time, she wasn't.

Skullossus appeared in the parking lot, seemingly out of nowhere, looking absolutely furious. Fists clenched and pupils burning, he made a beeline for Firecracker, stopping right before he crushed her with his mechanical foot. For a second, she just stared dumbly up at him, feeling her heart floating in her stomach. Clutching at her chest, Firecracker felt a sudden on burst of heart burn; she could swear that her stomach acid was cooking her heart.

"Hiya...Bossman," she said, uncharacteristically timid.

Snorting like a bull, Skullossus reached out and swiped away the box of doughnuts, then he unceremoniously attached a pink sticky note to her forehead. Written in all caps and red ink were the words: _"YOU'RE FIRED!"_

Sighing, Firecracker reached up and peeled the sticky note off, then ripped it up into a bunch of little pieces, watching Skullossus stomp away the entire time. From the beginning to the very end of her career, he'd never said more words to her than she could count on one hand. He couldn't even manage to say anything to her now?

Looking down at her shoes, Firecracker felt a mixture between relieved and upset. It might not hurt so much if he'd actually _said_ the words to her face... maybe?

Firecracker had been waiting for close to two hours in a mile long line of mad scientists, all of them wanting to work for Skullossus for one reason or another. In front of them was a large hexagon shaped teleporter pad that transported whoever was standing on it directly to some undisclosed part of Skullossus' floating space lair. Firecracker shuffled back and forth on her toes, playing with the feather in her hat; she was next up and she was getting kind of antsy.

Suddenly, a dejected looking man with an afro appeared in a white crackle of light; he stepped off of the transporter pad, muttering under his breath. Giggling like a maniac, Firecracker raced up on the pad and blew a raspberry at her competition before she disappeared.

Mere moments later, she was standing in front of a wooden desk, being scrutinized by the eery, glowing eyes of Skullossus himself; he wasn't even sitting behind the desk, just standing there awkwardly. Hastily, Firecracker collected herself and pretended to poke and prod at nonexistent lint.

Skullossus reached down and tapped his fingers on the desk, staring at her for a long, agonizing moment. Firecracker tried not to outwardly show just how much that bothered her. Then he held up a series of papers, rifled through them and smirked.

"I already like the potential of hiring you," Skullossus commented as he reached up and tapped the glass of his helmet thoughtfully. "You're a dirty, rotten little traitor!"

Then he pulled open a desk drawer and pulled out a colorfully illustrated children's book titled _Pretty Kitty_. He thrusted it right in Firecracker's face, making her cringe as it just about bopped her in the nose.

"Read this!" he commanded.

Tentatively, she reached out and took the book. Pulling open the cover, she projected her skepticism at the bright and happy cartoon illustration of a smiling kitten. But, she shrugged and did as instructed.

"There was once a skeleton kitty named Skeel," she started in a clear, slightly childish voice. "He lived in a UFO shaped like his head. He liked to play with yarn as well as using it to tie up his worst superhero enemies, Glory Kitty and Sergeant Sparkles..."

She read through the entire story, feeling more and more embarrassed. Partway through, she wondered if this was just a sick prank on the part of Skullossus; if so, she definitely admired his devious brilliance. Yet, at the same time, she knew there had to be some ounce of seriousness to it, considering how many different parts and elements of it were undeniable self-indulgence on the part of Skullossus.

"...and, so our story ends with Skeel shooting Glory Kitty and Sergeant Sparkles into the dark, airless vacuum of space, where they shriveled up into a pair of wrinkled, tiny prunes" she finished.

Then she looked up and, was absolutely surprised when she saw Skullossus smiling and satisfied.

"You got the job," he said, giving a double thumbs up. "Just make sure there's an audio recording of you reading a bedtime story on my desk everyday and you're set. Well...there's more to it than that, but the other candidates didn't really quite grasp the core understanding of being _my_ employee."

"What's that?" Firecracker asked, blinking and astounded.

"Number 1,"-he held up a finger-"You never mess with or question my authority. Number 2: I _never_ go to bed without a bedtime story."

"...You never mess with or question my authority..."

The words echoed through Firecracker's mind as she slumped down the alleyway. She'd broken that rule so many different times, just in small, unspoken increments. Mistakes that she could easily fix or cover up.

Sighing sadly, she looked up at the sky, watching the clouds slink by. Right now, she was alone, barred in by looming brick walls. Dumpsters and trash cans stood to either side; papers and other trash rolled and skittered by, setting the mood in a strangely theatrical way.

As she walked along, Firecracker mused over her position: She was the daughter of Metrotown's underground crime boss, Leo Sernara. She was one of the Cougar's unknown, but rumored about, grandchildren. She'd even been briefly employed by Skullossus, the world's most powerful super villain. On paper, she should be one of Metrotown's deadliest and most revered super villains. But, in reality, she was far from it.

In reality, she was barely a public nuisance; she committed petty crimes and disruptions. Even when she'd been employed by Skullossus, it wasn't to be one of his accomplices; she'd barely been his "mad scientist." She'd been more of a grunt, running around on inane errands, attending to his IT and technical related issues, and sometimes, she built machines for him. But he never gave her credit; never praised her for her work. He didn't respect her. By now, she knew that the only reason he'd hired her was to "stick it" to her father. Of course, Leo was infuriated, but he was the only one who knew that she'd been working for Skullossus...She'd just been a frivolous decoration on Skullossus' wall.

The thoughts stopped and she scowled. The realization made her insides burn, filled her with molten magma. All she could do was glare at the sky while she dragged her fingers through her hair and yanked at individual strands. Tears started collecting at the edges of her eyes when she stopped pulling out hair.

Next thing she knew, she had several thin strands of yellow hair clasped between her fingers. She gritted her teeth and let go of them, watching them fly away.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she imagined Remus standing there. Good old Remus, the man she'd always call "father" before her own biological one.

In her mind, he looked the same as he always did: the portly middle aged man with gray eyes and gray streaked dark hair, an eternal smile, the cheesy Hawaiian print shirt, and the tan khakis. His arms were wide open and she ran into him, letting herself fall apart and explode. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back in that same alley. What she'd never understood was how somebody with a heart made of gold could love a villain like herself so unconditionally.

Despite how much loss she'd experienced, it was because of Remus that Firecracker was able to pick herself back up and keep going. She smiled in a sardonic way, reflecting on how strange it was that she could take so much comfort in exactly what probably caused Remus grief. She knew she'd always have a place to stay with Remus, that he'd always take her in no matter what, but they both knew that she wouldn't return. That she just couldn't.

Biting her lower lip, Firecracker pushed the thoughts back as she turned around and started wandering back into the city. Shop fronts passed by, as did people. A few times, Firecracker noticed a superhero flying by overhead; one of them had probably heard about this morning's evil scheme by now. Yet none of them stopped or apprehended her. She kind of wished that they would...

She stopped walking when she reached the city park and sat down on the edge of the fountain, staring forlornly at her reflection in the water. Feeling a strange, childish urge overcome her, she reached out and touched the water's surface, feeling tingles run down her spine as ripples appeared. Her thoughts routed back to the eclectic League of Super Evil. The ghost of an idea started swimming in the back of her mind and she furrowed her brows, leaning in closer to the water until she was almost kissing her reflection.

"What sort of impression did I leave on you, Martian Man...?" she mused, smiling.

**-Metrotown: Metrotown Tech**

Serenity laid on the bed in her new dorm room, arms spread out to either side of her as she stared up at the ceiling. Her cell phone was right next to her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Felix's smiling face on the screen. And she could just imagine him hanging out with Zeo at the local arcade, digging around his pants pocket. Probably digging out his cell phone and checking for messages.

She knew she should call him and relay the news; that all of the problems she'd discussed with him at length that very morning had magically disappeared. Yet, she still felt something nagging at her. Somehow, despite how perfect this arrangement seemed, she was still doing something wrong.

A huge part of her felt like she should get up, pull out the superhero belt she'd sneaked into her suitcase, put it on, and then take off flying. There was something strangely liberating about being up in the clouds, so close to the stratosphere that medieval people would tell her that she could see heaven. The thought made her smile, but despite the urge, she knew that as soon as she reached the skies, she'd be tempted to try flying all the way back to Miracle City.

Her heart panged: Her home was thousands of miles away. How could she leave so much behind? _Why_ did she do it...?

That was when her phone rang. Without even looking, she picked it up and answered. "Hello?"

She could hear the wishy-washy desperation in her own voice...

"Serenity, have you thought more about my offer?" said the voice on the other line.

Serenity rolled over and felt like a disembodied spirit when she heard herself reply: "Yeah...And my answer is yes."


End file.
